I learned a lot about the RV life and lifestyle during those years. Because they grind up your waste to be able to pass through a smaller garden hose, macerator pumps also reduce the lingering smell that tends to accompany the standard three-inch RV sewer hose. Realize, then, that the area around that sewer opening or drain has had some dirty water dumped on it. Finally, the Progear also comes with a ten-foot power cord with a lighter plug connection and an easy-to-operate On/Off Switch. Using the large port only takes about 15 20 seconds to dump each tank. Can dump a longer distance than a standard sewer hose, Can dump at a home clean-out to sewer or septic system, Use a thinner dump hose that can be easier to handle & store. Good point we've got to update the article to include reference to this. That said, you can find them as cheap as $50, though you should expect problems to arise from such an inexpensive unit. There are some off-brands out there for cheaper, yes. Team RV Lifestyle. Youll be able to read through the fine print and find out how real humans liked (or didnt like) their experience with a certain pump. This means you dont need to have/locate any electrical connection for it to operate. This line of products has been pre-installed on high-end motorcoaches for many years and is now available for retail purchase as a customer-installed unit. But you may have a very simple and quick connection, making that "extra" time irrelevant. Eriks Thor Class A has a gravity dump and that big three-inch stinky slinky hose. With these advantages, you can stay longer in places without a dump station or places that only have pit toilets. The Hold-Your-Hand Guide To Boondocking Without Fear, Why We Traded The Full Time RV Life For Part Time, Do This And Never Have a Toilet Clog In Your RV, (Camp Addict does NOT accept payment from any company to review or endorse their products.). But some of them come from overseas companies that cant be trusted to stand by their product. Disposing RV waste often takes a few minutes, so its something that I often do while in the middle of other tasks. Not so with a garden hose. Although its a bit difficult to imagine needing that much distance to adequately clean out your wastewater tanks, its better to have too much distance than being stuck without enough. It easily installs onto a standard three-inch RV septic outlet and removes with a simple twist as well. So, do YOU need a macerator? So, whether this is your first time on the road or youre a seasoned expert, wed love for you to geek out with us! These days, I'm often found working from my new Az home, and sometimes plotting and scheming whether or not to start collecting farm animals (or plotting my next RV trip!). Anyway, know that if you get one, it's one more thing that might break or need attending. The Valterra RV SewerSolution moves waste a distance of 100 feet horizontally or 3 feet uphill, (though one reviewer notes that he has run a 100 piece of PVC pipe with a 12 rise and this pump allowed the flow without issue). And it comes at a reasonable price that doesnt hit the bank account too hard. This really depends on the exact model that you purchase, but many macerator systems are compatible with a standard garden hose. Most Macerators cost between $100 to $300. Then you can clean it out by running water through the pump in the same direction that your waste would typically travel. Like most RVers, he needs to rest it atop a sort of trestle, to keep the waste moving downhill. An RV macerator pump at its most simple level is an automatic grinder. Absolutely. An RV wastewater pump, better known as a macerator pump, is not for every RVing situation. The traditional 3-inch exit hose that most RVers use must be rinsed after use. With a macerator pump, we wouldn't have had to do that. Finally, this macerator pump runs on 12-volt DC power and is capable of removing up to 12 gallons of liquid waste per minute. The automated pump pushes the waste through. What are some trustworthy RV macerators brands? If you want a portable macerator pump thats really easy to put on and take off your existing RV septic outlet, the SewerFlo Macerator Pump gets my vote for the Best Quick Release pump. Most macerator pumps pass waste through a garden hose or smaller hose once everything is ground up. On the LTV Unity and Wonder (page 75) there is a SanTFlush valve in the service bay that can be used to flush the black tank when using the macerator instead of filling the tanks running water inside the RV. The Sani-Con Turbo system is designed for most Class A motorhomes (and many Super C RVs) because these rigs have adequate storage with enough clearance to install the macerator pump, attaching the sewer inlet hose to the pumps outlet. You'll be able to see what's coming out of your black water tank before it reaches the pump so that you don't damage the pump or run it dry. Thats what a macerator does. It's also the way to go if you're dumping into a home's toilet. Weighing just one pound, it's a very popular and reliable macerator. And you can find slightly less unsightly versions of it daily at most campgrounds. Remember Cousin Eddie and that infamous scene of him emptying the waste tanks of his old clunker of Class A in the sewer out front of Clark Griswalds House in the National Lampoons Christmas movie? What is the Best RV Battery for Boondocking Or dry camping. You can check out our post about RV Safe Toilet Paper or you can watch us show you how to test if your toilet paper is safe for use in an RV in this video: Despite the advantages noted above, an RV macerator pump has a few potential disadvantages as well. July 19, 2022at5:14 pm, Team RV Lifestyle said: Hi Edward might be a good question to put on a video and send to Mike and Jen for the podcast or to write in on their 7 pm Ask Us Anything segments. The exact installation recommendations for your macerator pump will vary depending on the manufacturer. There are plenty of things about them that might turn you off. But the easiest way to do so in our book is through an RV macerator pump. RecPro. The first was a beat-up 1983 Ford Tioga that he and his brother renovated before road-tripping from California to Texas to explore the music scene in Austin. Tucker currently resides in the gorgeous mountains to the north of Lake Tahoe (the second deepest lake in the United States!). It also depends on how far away the dump is. The thermal protection feature of this pump will also help you protect your investment. Clean Dump CDTO Portable Macerator System, 8 Best 12 Volt RV Water Pumps For Your camper or motorhome, 4 Recommended Suspension Modifications for Truck Camper Rigs, The 8 Best RV Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) In 2022, Best RV Leveling Blocks To Level Your Camper Trailer Like A Pro. Heres an article e published on Using a Houses Sewer for Dumopng. Place it in a bucket of soapy water and leave it there for a few hours. The slower flow through a macerator isnt as thorough. PLEASE NOTE: We're handy RVers, not professional technicians. If this is the case, youll need to purchase the additional hoses, adapters, electrical connections, and anything else you need for proper operation. Using a macerator makes dumping as odorless as anything out there. no long-distance or uphill dumping), but we certainly arent averse to the idea. Although I hope youve already locked in on the best RV macerator pump for your needs by now, I recognize the need to leave no stone unturned. Dealing with septic system issues is one of the hardest parts of being an RV owner. This is a great advantage in certain situations, but you should be careful that many pumps can only achieve a certain number of feet uphill before they lose effectiveness. Their primary use is when youre parked in a location where your waste needs to be ground up and pumped uphill in order to clear your tanks effectively. 7 Best RV Vacuum Cleaners: Get One That Really Sucks! Camco has a Rino garden hose (orange) that can be used to fill and spray the inside of the black tank. Those hoses are typically ribbed and allow waste to settle in between the ribs, which is virtually impossible to thoroughly clean without grossing yourself out. There are ways to dump your waste tanks at home, into your house sewer system. I then screw the cap back on and securely and neatly store the macerator hose in its designated storage cabinet under the RV. Needless to say, Im disappointed with it. The material on the Clean Dump connector appears to be made of bakelite and is very brittle. Pumps with four-blade cutters produce more fine slurry to easier pumping, but one of the best pumps with a four-blade cutter is the Progear 2000 from USA Adventure Gear. And the plastic of the garden hose is pretty thick, so you're not smelling the black water tank contents through the hose. SOME macerator pumps don't allow anything to pass if the pump isn't running. Its always better to be prepared than to deal with septic issues without the proper tools at your disposal. Otherwise, there aren't many legit reasons to get one. Portable units attach directly to the existing 3 sewer outlet on your RV. An RV macerator pump doesnt need to be coaxed into draining. If you don't have one close enough to your septic outlet, you'll probably have to re-wire it so it can reach your power supply. While this is uncommon with most RVs, this function will help you completely flush your wastewater tanks so that you dont continuously deal with odors from any remaining particles in the tank. MANY RV owners who have/use macerator pumps LOVE them and wouldnt be without one. I dont have a macerator but Im guessing a con is not being able to have the gray tank open and flow during shower and laundry days. But remember above where I talked about removing the cap at the end of the macerator hose? How do you use one? I have three slides, and it was a terrible pain to drive my trailer to the dump once a week. Because it slows down the flow of waste out of your holding tank(s), it may not completely empty them. Get a clear elbow for your hose so that you can see what is going through your hose to your pump. Don't be surprised if something breaks if you go that cheap. The best RV macerator pump efficiently grinds up solid waste and effectively pumps it to your desired disposal location. The hose used by gravity systems isnt called a Stinky Slinky without reason. While it can be a good rule-of-thumb to avoid putting any paper products down your RV toilet, this macerator can resolve issues created by unknowing RV guests. This pump can transport slurry uphill to distances up to 150 feet. This will enable you to see what is going on and use the pump accordingly. But minimizing exposure to wastewater is always recommended and the clean-out feature on this pump will help you do just that. Also, since you can connect a rinse hose to the macerator and rinse out the entire hose, there's no extra step of rinsing your hose after you disconnect it from your RV and the dump. As unpleasant as this process can be, a macerator pump can ease some of that. You will (or should) only forget to remove the caps once!!! This allows you to clean things out within a closed system and, again, reduces your need to get your hands dirty when disposing of your sewage. A typical RV sewer hose is 3 in diameter from end to end. (Unless you're fixed in one spot, of course.). Once youve hooked up this pump to your septic outlet, youll be able to connect a standard garden hose for sewage disposal. For a rv sewer pump that can dispose of up to 12 gallons of liquid waste per minute, this selection is extremely affordable and friendly to your wallet. Whenever I mention that we have an RV macerator pump, I get email from followers who want to know more about it and how it works, compared to the standard, big, ugly four-inch hose used in the typical gravity means of emptying the black and gray tanks unaffectionately known by many RVers as Stinky Slinkys.. Once it does, it will once again be safe to resume operation. I also love that this pump has a thermal protection feature that will automatically shut it off if the motor starts to get too hot. Because the sewer connection allows for water to rinse out the dump hose, it gets cleaned while attached. Well, each person has their own specific way of taking care of their waste dumping, however, the basics is this: There are also a few tips that RV macerator pump users have recommended. If you're an RVer that travels and stays in campgrounds and dumps at local dump stations, no, you don't need a macerator pump. It pumps even uphill. For whatever reason, if youre dealing with constant clogs that cant be resolved with a 12 or 24-volt pump, then youll need a more powerful solution. A RV macerators will allow you to grind up your RV waste small enough so that you can dump it in locations that you otherwise wouldnt be able to. How much you plan to use your rv sewer pump will dictate the most appropriate solution for you. Join our newsletter to learn about all things RV-related. We haven't found many good and dependable portable macerators on the market. Like your garbage disposal grinds up the solid you put down the sink, an RV macerator pump grinds up the solid and liquid waste you flush down your black water tank, turning it into a slurry. Not so with the hose that comes from an RV macerator pump. This portable macerator reduces your particle size (eew) to 1/8". This is also a great solution for anyone thats dealt with a clogged septic system and never wants to deal with that again. If you have the pump entirely apart, the shaft and blades should also be cleaned with a rag or sponge before reassembly. My 50-gallon grey water tank typically takes about 10 minutes to empty using gravity alone. A traditional RV dump hose relies on gravity to get the waste out of your tanks. Wash off any large pieces of debris and place the pump back into the holding tank. You may have heard of an RV macerator pump online or from fellow RVers. A small narrow cap screws on to the macerator hose opening and nothing comes out until I unscrew the cap, turn on the macerator and insert the hose into the dump opening. (Can you sleep in Walmart parking lots?). If you have a weak stomach or simply really dislike this whole process, this tip might not be for you. We're happy with the techniques and products we use, but be sure to confirm that all methods and materials you use are compatible with your equipment and abilities. Because you are dumping through a much smaller diameter hose (using a garden hose) than the 3-inch hose normally used, naturally, it takes longer for it all to escape your tanks. The Sani-Con system is best for rigs with an enclosed wet bay service area. What Are the Disadvantages of an RV Macerator Pump? I'm the co-founder of Camp Addict, which my biz partner and I launched in 2017. You can hook this pump up to your existing septic outlet and leave it there permanently. This little pump weighs just under 6 pounds and pumps about 12 gallons per minute. After a combined 14 years of RVing experience, Marshall and I have probably dumped our RV tanks at least over 300 times (eew). Because the gray tank has dishwater and bathwater and not human waste, it tends to flush out deposits that may still be inside the hose from the black tank. Most older RVs dont have a built-in macerator like some newer models. Disadvantages: takes much longer to empty, pump failure? What Are the Advantages of an RV Macerator Pump? Public dump stations are not really the time or place to be using a macerator. Hello! After that many years of wonderful full-time travel, it was time for something new. Youll love the handheld operation and the ability to throw out your old, stinky, three-inch RV sewer hose. Once the black tank is empty, you then drain the gray tank. The benefits (and disadvantages) of using an RV septic pump are as follows. You can find a portable RV macerator pump in places like Amazon, in camping supply stores, and at Walmart. I would always opt for not having one. If your holding tank is a little larger, just do a little math and youll still find that this pump cleans your tanks out faster than just relying on gravity. The narrow hose that an RV macerator pump pushes the waste through is very self-contained. There's no installation. CLICK HERE to go to it directly. Every week we offer free tips, tricks, product reviews, and more to our online community of RVers.
rv macerator pump installation